Occupational Trainees

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The Occupational Trainee Program offers students the opportunity to get involved in leading edge research into water and wastewater management and treatment. Visiting students participating in this program will spend a minimum of 6 months working within our centre under the supervision of one of our experienced academics. The program will provide you with a structured workplace training schedule to enhance your skills and promote international collaborations. If you are interested in this program, please take the time to read about our research programs described on the AWMC website or peruse the profiles of our research academics to gain a better understanding of our research activities and to highlight which of these aligns with your particular career path. Once you have determined one or more programs of interest, please contact the relevant academics or send an email to hr@awmc.uq.edu.au, including your up-to-date curriculum vitae.

What is An Occupational Trainee

The Occupational Trainee Visa (Subclass 402) allows people to complete a workplace-based training in Australia on a temporary basis, up to two years. The training provides participants with additional or enhanced skills in the nominated occupations, tertiary studies or fields of expertise. This visa is sometimes used by visitors who do not hold a PhD and are not eligible for the 419 visiting academic visa.

Who Can Apply

You must meet one or more of the following requirements:

have been employed in their current occupation, studying or engaged in their field of expertise for at least the last 12 months (unless exceptional circumstances justify that a visa should be granted despite a shorter period or experience

have recently graduated from a foreign educational institution

seeking occupational training in a closely related field

undertaking research in their field of study (other than full time research towards a further qualification)

To be eligible for an Occupational Trainee Visa you must meet all of the following requirements:

be sponsored by the Advanced Water Management Centre

be identified in an approved nomination for occupational training

be seeking to enter and remain in Australia to undertake the occupational training identified in the nomination

be at least 18 years of age (unless exceptional circumstances justify a visa being granted to a person under the age of 18)

have sufficient English language skills

have adequate arrangements for health insurance for the duration of their stay in Australia

be of good health and character

What do I Get Sponsored?

There are 2 steps to applying for an Occupational Trainee Visa; both are out lined in detail below.

Step 1 – Preparing the invitation letter

Once you have successfully secured an occupational traineeship with one of our research academics, a Letter of Invitation will be issued to confirm your visitor status for the purpose of a visa application.

We will send the Letter of Invitation and all information provided by you to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), seeking a Letter of Approval for your visit. This usually takes six to eight weeks depending on the workload at the Immigration Department; thus, it is important that the information you send us is as complete as possible. Incomplete information can lead to further delays in the visa application process.

When DIAC approves your visit, they will send us a Letter of Approval, which we will forward to you together with the Letter of Invitation. To speed up the process, we usually email these documents to you. It is, therefore, important that we have a valid email address.

Once you have both the University Letter of Invitation and DIAC’s Letter of Approval you can apply for an Occupational Trainee Visa from the Australian Embassy in your country.

Completing the application form

The following questions on the application form will always remain the same, you will need to complete the application with the following details as well as your personal details.

Part A:
6.YesSponsor Name: The University of QueenslandSponsorship Application ID number: 12345678

It is mandatory to complete Part G of the application form. You will be required to attach a photo of yourself and any other family members who are included on the application to the front of the application page.

Whether you are in or outside of Australia all applications will need to be lodged to the Adelaide Occupational Trainee Processing Centre:

Health Insurance

To be granted the Occupational Trainee Visa the nominee and any family members must show that they have adequate health insurance for the first 12 months of the training program, or if less than 12 months, the period of the training.

Change in Circumstances

You must notify DIAC of any change in your circumstances that may breach your visa conditions.

Change of Sponsorship

If you decide to undertake training with another organisation while in Australia, you will need to be sponsored by the new organisation. When the new nomination is approved, you will be able to train with that organisation for the period remaining on the visa without having to re-apply for a new visa.

Occupational Trainee Sponsorship Obligations

The University is an approved sponsor of overseas visitors for the 442 Occupational Trainee Visa.

The University must meet several obligations when lodging a nomination:

The trainee ceases the training program before the agreed completion date

There is a change to the nominating organisation's circumstances which may impact on the trainee's training program.

Trainee obligations

While undertaking the training, you must:

participate fully in the occupational training

not undertake any other activities likely to impact on the trainee’s participation in the occupational training

notify the sponsor of any changes to their personal circumstances, such as inability to continue the training

notify the sponsor if they have any concerns about the training program

Final Word

Please be aware that the AWMC does not provide occupational trainees with any financial assistance for travel, accommodation, living and incidental expenses. We do, however, cover expenses directly associated with the research project and lab work that you will undertake.